Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement in the method for preparing an epoxide of an alpha olefin such as propylene oxide and tertiary butyl alcohol from a C.sub.3 to C.sub.12 alpha olefin such as propylene and tertiary butyl hydroperoxide. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for the preparation of propylene oxide and tertiary butyl alcohol from propylene and tertiary butyl hydroperoxide using a regenerated catalyst. Also, this invention relates to a process for preparing an epoxide of an alpha olefin such as propylene oxide and tertiary butyl alcohol by the molybdenum catalyzed reaction of a C.sub.3 to C.sub.12 linear alpha olefin such as octene-1 or propylene With tertiary butyl hydroperoxide wherein a distillation fraction obtained from the epoxidation reaction mixture which contains residual molybdenum catalyst is reacted with ammonia in liquid phase to provide a precipitate which is then reacted with ethylene glycol to provide a regenerated molybdenum catalyst which is used as a portion of the catalyst requirement to catalyze the reaction of the linear alpha olefin with tertiary butyl hydroperoxide.